


I'll Hold You to That

by Akiko_Natsuko



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Apologies, Blood and Injury, F/M, Forgiveness, Friendship/Love, Guilt, Memories, Missions Gone Wrong, Serious Injuries, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-06
Updated: 2018-11-06
Packaged: 2019-08-17 06:09:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16510823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akiko_Natsuko/pseuds/Akiko_Natsuko
Summary: “My Knight,” Hana teased, pulling their linked hands into her lap and forcing him to lean closer, just in time to brace him as the plane rattled again. “I could always carry you.” .“I’ll hold you to that.”When a routine mission goes awry, and Hana's actions unintentionally land Lucio in the infirmary, she is unable to do anything but wait, pray and cling to the silly promise they had made just before.





	I'll Hold You to That

    Hana winced as she shifted, broken arm protesting as she tried to balance herself in a new position and her back took the opportunity to renew its protests about the chair that had been her home for the past two days. The pain was welcomed though because it chased away the sleepiness that had been starting to creep over her and this time when she moved, stretching out sore shoulders, she deliberately jostled her arm, biting her lip to stop herself from making a noise. She didn’t want to sleep, aware of the nightmares that awaited her the moment she gave in. But it was more than that, she couldn’t sleep, not yet. Slowly she lifted her head, reluctant and desperate to look in equal measure, feeling the by now familiar twisting sensation in the pit of her stomach as her gaze settled on Lucio, studying the still features as guilt bubbled up to the surface once more. _Lucio._

    He wasn’t built for stillness. Even when he was sat in front of the computer mixing tunes, or curled up on the bed scribbling lyrics in the ridiculous pink notebook she had given him for Christmas, completely focused on his music, he was continually moving. Light taps of his fingers against the closest surface, head bobbing back and forth to a beat that only he could hear, teeth worrying at his bottom lip as he fought his way past a block. Now though he was perfectly still apart from the gentle rise and fall of his chest, and she felt her eyes beginning to sting when she remembered how that too had been still for a terrifying few minutes when they were first rescued. The memory was too strong, and she couldn’t stop herself from reaching out, resting her fingers lightly against his chest. _He’s alive._

 _He’s improving,_ Angela’s words from earlier that morning came back to her as she watched her hand moving up and down with the movement of his chest, and she couldn’t help but frown. _Was he?_ She could see that the cuts and bruises that had littered his face and arms were already looking better under Angela’s attentive care, and his breathing was easier than it had been yesterday. Yet the bandages around his head and torso remained the stillness, the quiet and if she turned her head and looked across the infirmary she knew that she would see the twisted remains of his prosthetics which were waiting to be repaired. In a way it made it worse, knowing that even if he was awake and back with her, he would still be trapped in the bed, still retrained to an unnatural stillness.

_All because of me._

    She swallowed, refusing to turn and look, instead letting her eyes linger on his face. Tracing his features, missing the way his face usually twisted in his sleep, reflecting whatever he was dreaming about and despite everything her lips quirked as she imagined how his nose would wrinkle even when he was imagining something unpleasant, and the way his head would begin to move to music even in his sleep. It had become one of her favourite pastimes, to just lie there when sleep was eluding her, or the nightmares were more fierce than usual and watch him, committing each shift in his expression to memory. She missed that, she missed him. _He’s still here,_ she told herself sternly, just as she had done ever since he had nearly slipped through her fingers, needing the reminder even with the feel of his chest rising and falling beneath her fingers, knowing that she wouldn’t fully believe it until he opened his eyes.

“…wake up” She hadn’t meant for the plea to slip out, the whispered words deafening in the silence and yet she couldn’t help but watch him hopefully, a roaring sound filling her ears. _Please._ There was nothing, no change in the slow rise and fall of his chest, no shift in the still features and disappointment hit her in a crushing wave, the stinging in her eyes become actual tears, and she had to look away. She’d known that it wouldn’t work. If her desperate cries from the previous days hadn’t worked, then that broken whisper wouldn’t and yet she had still allowed herself to hope, and now she felt something shifting and threatening to shatter, unable to bring herself to look at him again, to see his stillness. _Please, you have to wake up._

    This wasn’t supposed to have happened. It was supposed to have been a quick mission. A simple mission. They were supposed to be home, safe and sound and huddled in their room plotting how they were going to drag Soldier 76 into their next stream. Not this…this strange limbo where it felt like everything had been put on hold, sucked into the same unnatural stillness that gripped Lucio, leaving her unable to do anything but wait and hope.

_Please, come back._

**

_Hana glanced up from her phone when she felt Lucio gripping her arm, fingers digging in hard enough to bruise and she was about to scold him when she caught the scowl on his face, and the glimmer of fear beneath it as the plane shuddered. Her irritation faded as soon as it had appeared because she knew that he wasn’t fond of flying at the best of times although he usually was able to hide his discomfort better. She had been surprised when he had first admitted it, after all, she had always equated flying with freedom…even the violent jolt that followed not enough to bother her after the time spent piloting her Mech. Lucio had disagreed, saying that freedom came with getting everywhere on his own two feet, pointing out that he could practically fly with his skates and she hadn’t been able to argue, smiling as she thought about all the times he had sailed over her Mech by riding the walls. He could fly in his own way, it just didn’t help him deal with actual flying._

_The plane shuddered again, and she caught the way his eyes darted nervously to the cockpit, a little bit of the fear leaching away as they heard Lena humming to herself. There was no better pilot in Overwatch, and she knew that must be reassuring, although the plane groaning around them certainly wasn’t, and she made a note to remind Winston that they really needed a new one. Their de facto leader had admitted that they were going to have to do something soon, although what that something was given Overwatch’s current ‘illicit’ existence remained to be seen…maybe she could do something about it? For now, though she needed to do something about Lucio._

_Gently pulling herself free of his hold she reached down and grasped his hand, feeling him jump at the contact, and she smiled at him when he looked up at her, leaning into his side. Reminding him that he wasn’t alone and giving him something solid to ground himself with, and it seemed to help as he took a deep breath, glancing at their linked hands before offering her a shaky grin. “Do you think Winston would object if I took the train next time?” It was only partly in jest, she could tell that much from the way his fingers tightened around hers._

_“Yes.” She could just imagine what Winston would say to that, besides as far as she knew they hadn’t yet built a railway that could get you across the ocean, but she wasn’t about to say that as his grin wavered with another shudder of the plane._

_“You’re supposed to be comforting me.”_

_“No,” she replied dryly, softening her words with a quick brush of her lips against his cheek and she had to fight back a giggle as he promptly blushed. His reaction to public displays of affection was endlessly endearing to her, which was part of the reason why she indulged in them so often. There was no privacy in this part of the plane, something that didn’t bother her in the slightest although she was sure that she had just heard Jack snorting at their antics as he passed them, making Lucio duck his head in an attempt to hide. Unabashed she squeezed his fingers. “I’m supposed to be distracting you.” Mission accomplished, she couldn’t help but think, watching as he tried to calm himself and giving him a couple of minutes before launching into what she had wanted to discuss earlier. “Plus, I wanted to talk about our next stream.”_

_“My agent is still dealing with the fallout from the last stream,” Lucio muttered under his breath, and she snorted. She’d peered over his shoulder earlier and caught a glimpse of the long, ranting email he had received that morning, and she knew that he had been relieved they were leaving on a mission so that they didn’t have to deal with it just yet. He was blushing again, and she knew that he was remembering some of the headlines and comments that had followed that fiasco of a stream, and she had to admit that a few of them had her flustered as well, not that she would ever admit it._

_“And whose fault is that?”_

_“Yours!” Lucio retorted with a laugh, the sound distracting her for a moment before she glowered at him, swatting his arm and making him immediately lean back. “Ow! Fine…ours.”_

_“Ours.” She was satisfied with that, after all, they had been equally responsible for agreeing to do the stream when they were both exhausted after a mission that had pushed them beyond their limits. It was just annoying that after all the months of shared streams once their fans had cottoned onto the fact that they not only knew each other but were at the same location. Carefully keeping the true nature of their relationship hidden behind friendly teasing, partly to avoid a mess like this and partly because they had both wanted something that was theirs. Something that had nothing to do with their public personas or the war they were fighting. Thiers. And it had come crashing down around their ears when they had fallen asleep in the middle of the stream, instinctively moving into their usual sleeping positions…namely curled around one another, in a way that even a blind person could tell that they were something more._

_“We just need to give them something new to chew on.” At first, she thought he was just trying to comfort her, but then she realised that he was studying the rest of their team, catching the wicked grin that tugged at his lips as Soldier 76 stepped back out of the cockpit. Hana felt her own lips twitching up into a matching grin._

_“A special guest?” It wouldn’t be the first time they had roped one of the others into helping, although they were always careful to mask who they really were…apart from Jesse, who had argued that no one was going to believe that a wanted fugitive would really be part of their stream. But Soldier 76 had so far eluded their efforts._

_“Don’t even think about it,” Soldier 76’s gruff voice cut across whatever Lucio had been about to say and they both swallowed as he stopped in front of them, his gaze shifting from Hana to Lucio and back again, and she fought to stop herself from shifting nervously under his gaze. He had mellowed a lot since he’d finally decided to join up with the new Overwatch, but they were still cautious with just how much they teased him and dragged him into their antics. Especially since he had proven that he wasn’t above using his old Strike Commander codes to lock them out of their rooms, the kitchen, the rec room. She saw Lucio glancing at her, and she opened her mouth, hoping to distract Soldier 76, not sure how much he had heard but before she could get a word out the older man shook his head. “No mischief until we get home, please…” It was a tacit admission that he knew that he wasn’t going to stop their plotting and she nudged Lucio, practically vibrating with excitement at the tacit permission._

_“Yes, Dad!” They both chorused a moment later, wearing matching grins and exchanging a look when he growled under his breath before turning and stalking across to talk to Anna. He had done his best to get them to abandon that nickname after Lena had accidentally let it slip once, but the younger crowd had latched onto it, and Hana swore blind that she had heard Jesse use it at least once as well. At first, it had been greeted with real irritation, but his growl a moment ago had lacked any real heat, and there was a looseness to his shoulders that told them that he wasn’t angry with them._

_Still, it was an unspoken rule that the nicknames weren’t to be used in the field, the same as all talks of games and streams were to be left behind on the plane._

_“We’re doing it right?”_

_“Of course,” Hana grinned at him, already plotting how they were going to drag the older man into their stream, especially now that he would be on guard against any mischief coming from them. “We might just need to run afterwards.”_

_“I’ll carry you to safety.”_

_“My Knight,” Hana teased, pulling their linked hands into her lap and forcing him to lean closer, just in time to brace him as the plane rattled again. “I could always carry you.” Lucio laughed at that, missing the next shudder and she guessed that he was remembering when she had done just that when he’d argued that there was no way her Mech would fit down the narrow corridors of the base. He had been sort of right, and they’d spent days cleaning up the mess she’d made and repairing the one wall that hadn’t survived their antics. This time Lucio was the one to lean in, overcoming his embarrassment long enough to steal a quick kiss before shooting a wary glance across at the target._

_“I’ll hold you to that.”_

**

_I’ll hold you to that._

    It had been a silly promise, a joke, something to help stave away the pre-mission nerves and to remind them that there was still life beyond the battle they were heading for. Silly words, and yet they had hounded her in the long hours that she had sat beside him. It still seemed surreal how they had managed to go from that, laughing and plotting, to this stillness, and she found her hand moving lower, seeking out his hand so that she could entwine their fingers just as she had on that flight. _You have to wake up so you can hold me to it._

**

    _Their light-hearted chatter had petered out when Lena had announced that they were nearly there, and a couple of minutes later they were separating, parting ways with nothing more than a lingering glance, fingers brushing until they were no longer touching. Then Hana was moving to check on her Mech, mind already turning to the battle to come, while Lucio went to join Ana, graceful on his skates, his mind no longer on the shuddering of the plane beneath him as he began to test his equipment._

_They should have done more, said more, but they had both agreed when they had first moved from friends to ‘more’ that it couldn’t be allowed to get in the way. Besides words said before a battle always sounded like a farewell. Still, they should have said something…_

_The mission had been off from the start. The payload they had agreed to help escort was twice the size they’d been told, core components for the city’s new defence system which was supposed to be on the leading edge of Omnic detection after a recent uprising had left hundreds of dead because the military had reacted too long. Core components which would be incredibly dangerous if they fell into the wrong hands. Which was why Overwatch had been covertly contacted and asked to provide additional cover, and they had agreed on the understanding that it was a small albeit vital delivery, not this massive trailer, which was both highly visible but also harder to manoeuvre and slower, Hana had thought that Soldier 76 was going to refuse to move it. There was only the five of them, a suitable team for the narrow streets around here and a smaller payload…but this…she found herself jiggling the controls of her mech, moving restlessly as she watched them debating what to do, her eyes seeking out Lucio. He was grinning, music already pulsing softly as he shifted from foot to foot, and she knew to the casual observer he would have looked confident, ready. She knew better, could see the way that his fingers were toying with the controls prepared to leap into action at a moment’s notice and she could see how his eyes had tightened, his gaze never leaving what was happening in front of them._

_He’s worried._

_That realisation did little to help her own nervousness, because Lucio was never worried before a mission, telling her once that if they started out in that frame of mind, then things were more likely to go wrong._

_Before long Soldier 76 was moving back, shoulders slumped. They were going to move the payload. It was essential to the defence of the city and Overwatch was in no position to lose what few allies Winston had been able to gain them, but it was apparent that he wasn’t happy about it. Ana was at his heels, resting a comforting hand on his shoulder, and by the time he had reached them he seemed to be in slightly better spirits, although with the visor and mask now covering his features it was hard to tell and Hana couldn’t help but shift uneasily. She would rather see the doubts, the anger, even if it wouldn’t help them but she didn’t say anything, listening as he outlined the route again, making amendments to the timings based on the new vehicle._

*

    They should have refused. It hadn’t been worth it. Hana knew that her thinking was anything but rational at the moment, that her trainers would be horrified to see that she was putting a single person above the mission. She didn’t care.

This was Lucio.

    Lucio who would sit up with her late at night when the memories and nightmares were too close to the surface. It didn’t matter if he had been out at a concert or on a mission, he could have huge bags under his eyes, exhaustion in every line of his body, and he would still be there, pressed against her side and an arm around her shoulder. He always knew what she needed. On the nights when the silence was too much he would talk to her, idle chatter, plans for future streams or songs, tales of his childhood. Other times he would play her songs, new ones, letting her have a glimpse of the side of him the public never got to see. Then there were the nights when the noise was too much to bear, the slightest creak enough to set her off and he would gently settle his headphones over his ears, no music playing, and hold her close, a silent pillar of support.

    Lucio who had taught her that it was okay not to be a soldier sometimes. Before she had streamed and gamed, purely to have some grasp on a life beyond the army and to give her sponsors publicity, but with Lucio at her side, she had learned not to think about those things and to focus on the fact that she enjoyed it. He was the reason she could log on and just be Hana Song, rather than D.Va. The reason why the little voice at the back of her mind that constantly nagged that she should be feeling guilty for playing games when there was a war, was little more than a memory these days. It was a precious gift, one that she hadn’t realised she needed until she had it.

    So, if it was selfish to wish that they’d never accepted the mission, even if it risked making things worse in the future then she was guilty because when she glanced at him, shivering at the unnatural stillness that was all she could wish for.

 _._ **

_They had encountered opposition the moment they got the payload onto the road. Almost as though they had been waiting for them. It gave Hana bad flashbacks to the first time she had fought the Omnics, the Mechs were supposedly the best-kept secret in the military, and yet the Omnics had known and had been waiting for them. They had been lucky anyone had survived that fight…_

_They would be lucky to survive this one._

_Yet despite their numbers, they were moving the payload forward, having to fight for every foot and soon her world had narrowed down to the controls in her hands, and Soldier 76’s voice barking commands and bearings in her ear. On the periphery she was always aware of where Lucio was, feeling the soothing beats of his healing music after each skirmish, and the sudden surge of adrenaline when he switched to speed boost. He seemed to be everywhere at once, and while she couldn’t break her concentration to look at him, just knowing that he was there was enough._

   _Then the second wave of attackers had hit. Apparently, their assailants hadn’t been expecting such resistance, because this time they weren’t holding back, and Hana wasn’t the only one to curse as she took in the numbers they were facing or the guns that had been mounted behind makeshift barriers waiting for them to come within reach. Hana was firing, providing a vicious covering fire even before the order arrived, buying them time to consider their options, catching the blur of blue as Lena shot ahead to examine the road ahead and see if they stood a chance of getting past this._

_Still, even with her efforts, they were being forced back, the payload being guided behind their defences as they retreated into one of the narrower side streets which would be easier to barricade. She paused in her firing to nudge a parked hovercar onto its side, obscuring part of the road and giving Ana shelter as the older woman sniped at the group that was trying to move in on their position. On the other side Soldier 76 was pressed against the wall, one hand pressed to his ear, no doubt relaying the situation back to Winston and she hastily moved to cover him, her defence matrix coming up just in time to block a volley of bullets as they spied his location._

_He retreated, leaving her to provide covering fire and Hana moved forward, eyes scanning the sight in front of her. They were moving in on their position, and she scowled, knowing that they needed more time and her eyes shifted to the tall building on the corner and more importantly the balcony that ran the length of it. Winston had pleaded for minimal damage, but this was an emergency, and a building was nothing compared to their lives._

_“Watch your heads!” She shouted over the comms, deaf to any protests as she opened fire on the balcony, aiming at its supports, her Mech shuddering as the agents realised she was no longer aiming at them and she could hear the metal screeching, several alarms blaring before she heard something thud against the screen and saw Ana looking at her. She nodded some thanks as the alarms immediately quietened, renewing her efforts and a few seconds later she was rewarded by the balcony collapsing in on itself, not built to hold up on fire, the rubble falling onto the road. It gave them more protection, and several unfortunate souls who had charged ahead were crushed beneath it as it crashed to the ground._

_“We need to block them off!” Lena shouted as she zipped back into view, dragging Hana’s attention away from Lucio’s whoop at her success, blue light marking Lena’s path as she skidded to a halt. “There’s too many of them, and they’re moving in what looks like reconditioned Bastion units,” she added breathlessly, offering a Lucio a grateful grin when he appeared beside her, the healing beats of his music washing over her. She basked in the sensation for a minute before she turned to look at Hana who had resumed providing covering fire, aiming at gaps in their current defences. At the moment, it seemed to be enough to make them hesitate, but eventually, they would find a way around or decide to throw sheer numbers at her._

_“D. Va?” Soldier 76 had appeared beside them, looking even worse than he had a few moments before but he waved Lucio and Ana back towards them and instead focused on Hana. She kept her gaze on the gap, taking in the state of the walls around them. Her own fire, as well as the bullets and missiles, she amended as there was a muffled explosion off to the side, had left large cracks running up the sides of the buildings on either side of the street they were on, and she knew immediately what he wanted._

_“Understood!” She just prayed that everyone had cleared the area, not that she had much choice. They had to complete the mission, and keeping her team alive was her highest priority right now. “Pull back!”_

_Soldier 76 and Ana headed for the payload, while Lena darted back out into the main street with Lucio on her heels. The two of them providing a distraction to give the others time to fall back and ensure that the payload didn’t get caught in the explosion while Hana moved into position, still covering them as best she could while keeping enough distance to give her a decent run-up when they were ready._

_As soon as the payload was clear, Lucio and Lena retreated to her position, the latter giving her Mech a high five as she shot past them to join the others. Lucio paused for a second, looking at her through the windscreen, the thumbs up and grin, doing little to hide his worry for her and she smiled at him, tucking away her own nerves. “I’ve got this!” She called, grip tightening on the controls as he nodded and moved to the side, his fingers moving, and the soothing beat of his healing music was immediately replaced by the faster-paced music of his speed boost._

_How many times had they done this, Lucio speed boosting her to where she needed to go and then dancing nimbly out of the range of the destruction? She didn’t hesitate, didn’t check to make sure that he was already moving out of the way, wholly focused on her target and the button beneath her finger as she shot forward. Timing was crucial if it went too far then it would be pointless…but too close… she shivered, remembering more than one incident where her fellow recruits had misjudged the distance. It was a mistake most people only got to make once, or lived regretting it for the rest of their lives. She didn’t want to be one of them, and her gaze was locked on the screen, and the buildings around her focused on the weakest point, and there it was… dead centre between the two roads, close enough to take out the already damaged buildings, and without hesitation she hit the button._

_“Nerf this!”_

 

 


End file.
